HERMIT’S ESTATE

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 July 1943, Page 4

HERMIT’S ESTATE

LONG SEARCH FOR RELATIONS

SYDNEY, June 29. A faded photograph and a 50-year-old letter established beyond doubt last week the claims of eight Swedish citizens to the £ll,OOO Australian estate of Frederick Mansson. 83-year-old seaman and dairy farmer, ihe decision of the Master-in-Equity at Svdncy that they were the rightful heirs ended a seven-years world search for Mansson’s next-01-km. _ Mansson died in a rest home in. April, 1936, the dry after he had been taken from a humble little shack where he had lived lor many years, apparently in poverty. IHe left no will and the search for his relations was interrupted by the war. 'lhe Public Trustee had to get special permission from the Comptroller of Enemy Property to insert an advertisement in the German-controlled Danish newspaper “Politiken.” Getting the advertisement to Copenhagen was a problem. The Swedish Consul offered to forward it through Consular mail, but the first CO py— S ent by way of Hong Kong and Russia—did not reach its destination. It is believed that the ship carrying it was torpedoed and sunk. Eventually the notice, in Danish, appeared in the Copenhagen newspaper. About the same time, the advertisement appeared in a Swedish newspaper. Claimants included an 81-year-old brother, Peter, of Sarum, Sweden, four children of a sister, Elna, two children of a sister, Ingeborg, and the child of another Jons.

In reply to the advertisement, Peter sent the Public Trustee a letter dated 1896, addressed “Dear Brother.” In it, Frederick Mansson said he was still working on “the same boat,” and that he was “satisfied to earn £5 per month, which was equal to 2> Swedish kronen.” He mentioned a photograph posted to his brother-in-law, Sven Andersson. The photograph was tendered as evidence and identified as that of Mansson. The handwriting in the letter, with copies of birth and marriage certificates from Swedish pastors, put the matter beyond doubt.